I still chuckle when I remember the look of surprise on the faces of kids on the morning after a sleepover when all the Morins would suddenly just burst out singing at the breakfast table. We wanted our kids to learn the hymns of the faith, so we made it part of our routine. When truth is accessible and memorable, it gets to be the loudest voice in the room, and the best hymns make the truth both singable and memorable.
The truth that makes all the difference to me is God’s faithfulness. He does not hold my wishy-washy track record against me, and with the psalmist, I can affirm: “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.”
The old hymn calls it “Standing on the Promises.”
Verse 1
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Verse 2
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Verse 3
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.
Verse 4
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
Chorus
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
“Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord/…Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword…” Standing on a promise requires knowledge of what has been promised. Do you have a sufficient base in Scripture for your heart to rest upon?
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Finding Balance in the Promises
Both the psalmist and the hymn writer (R. Kelso Carter, 1849-1928) are calling the believer to a state of being. More than a call to action, simply trusting, resting in faith that God will act, requires a sinewy faith .
My least favorite and most difficult daily exercise requires me to stand on one foot, balanced, for ten seconds. I hardly ever make it to ten seconds, but I keep at it because I’m determined to work against the effects of Parkinson’s Disease. Simply standing, balanced, becomes an exercise for my brain and for my body.
- If I am simply standing, I will refrain from exhaustive Google searches on everything that frightens me.
- I will be “listening every moment” for the voice of the Spirit, and allow that voice to supersede the well-meaning but sometimes misguided input of friends and family.
- Standing on a promise requires knowledge of what has been promised. As Jen Wilkin has said, “The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” Do I have a sufficient base in Scripture for my heart to rest upon?
- Standing on God’s promises will impact the way I pray:
A promise is… the raw material of prayer. Prayer irrigates the fields of life with waters which are stored up in the reservoirs of promise. The promise is the power of prayer. We go to God, and we say to him, ‘Do as you have said. O Lord, here is your Word; we ask you to fulfill it.'”
Charles Spurgeon
Practice Standing on the Promises
Do you have daily rhythms built into your schedule that train you to stand, to rest, to live, to simply be upheld by the promises of God?
Last summer, I created a guided meditation for my newsletter subscribers based on Isaiah 43. If you’ve decided to stand on God’s promises, begin by letting Isaiah’s majestic words on the absoluteness of God re-form and refresh the way you see and know Him!
To download or print this free resource, simply click on the corresponding icon in the image with the sunflower, and be reminded that you live in the presence of God. You have his undivided attention.
And if you would like to continue to receive resources to help you become a more confident student of God’s Word, sign up to receive my newsletter. CLICK HERE. This will take you to Substack’s website where you’ll find a prompt that looks just like this image for Living Our Days with Michele Morin. Over on that site, simply enter your email and then click on the purple “SUBSCRIBE” button.
You’ll receive a welcome letter to confirm your subscription, and then monthly encouragement in your email inbox.
Holding You in the Light,
Do you have daily rhythms built into your schedule that train you to stand on God’s promises? Here’s a free guided meditation based on Isaiah 43–majestic words on the absoluteness of God to refresh the way you see and know Him.
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Living Our Days 
The pastor of the church we’ve been visiting mentioned his morning that one word of a familiar hymn stood out to him and ministered to him. I experienced the same with “Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword.” I don’t know how many times I have sung right past that. But seeing it by itself suddenly made it stand out.
It’s so true that we can’t stand on a promise unless we know the promise. One reason to be in the Word regularly is that, as we get to know Him and His Word better, we know better how to pray.
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That’s true. We fall off the bed on the side of expecting God to do things he never promised OR on the side of not trusting Him for blessings he has clearly promised.
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Michele – blessings to you today! Blessings as you sing and continue to influence your people…and us! (I’m singing loudly over here! This one of my favorite hymns!) And blessings as you continue to fight against disease that fights for our physical selves (I’m right there with you….just a different fight) and praying God gives you just the strength you need day by day to keep standing. On those promises and on one foot – you go girl!
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I appreciate knowing that we are fighting side by side! And your words are so encouraging! Thank you for reading and for taking time to respond!
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Oops forgot to add OneWord #5
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I’m inspired by your perseverance, Michele. You refuse to give in to self-pity or discouragement; you fight with faith in God and his promises. ‘Love that Jen Wilkin quote. And from what I’ve read here at Living Our Days, you DO have a most sufficient base of scripture. (Of course, I also know you’ll continue to broaden that base because you already love God’s Word.) Press on, my friend–we’re all cheering you on!
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I’m inspired by my readers—and by writing friends like you who share your own courageous YES to God. And I am really leaning into scripture memory these days as an anchor and a lifeline!
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I too am thankful for the scriptures put to memory. (I need to add more, though I find it a challenge to keep fresh what I’ve already learned!)
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Review is a constant challenge for me, too!
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Through eternal ages let his praises ring; Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God. Refrain: Standing, standing.
Visit: https://www.ecfa.org/MemberProfile.aspx?ID=44835
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Sing it!!! 🎶
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I can’t sing at all, but I love the old hymns, and this one is very special indeed!
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The words are such an inspiration and an invitation to worship!
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[…] Standing on the Promises Is More Active than it Sounds. “‘Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord/…Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword…’ Standing on a promise requires knowledge of what has been promised. Do you have a sufficient base in Scripture for your heart to rest upon?” […]
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There is nothing that we do in obedience to God that is passive. We may be sitting in silence but our heart, mind and soul are actively seeking His will!
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I love your insight, and conversely, we’re so prone to mistake activity for productivity!
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Truth!
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Michele, I never thought of “standing on the promises” as being an active thing, but now I see that it is surely is! I love the illustration of you standing on one foot–it takes effort and discipline and strength, just like standing on God’s promises.
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You are so right. I get frustrated sometimes with what feels like a lack of
“progress,” but then I remember how insufficient my measurement tools have always been…
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We sang this hymn at the close of church this morning, I love that we have these precious old hymns to rely on as we go through difficult times or even times we are blessed.
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What lovely serendipity! Yes, the hymns are a source of portable truth.
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I’m hearing this as I read the lyrics. 🙂 I’m grateful for the promises we can rest on. And good for you in practicing your balancing exercises. All those things add up to make a difference I’m sure.
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I love the songs that are so familiar we can’t resist singing them!
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I have a daily rhythm of reading the Bible. Our church has a journal with a daily scripture outline for the year. It has been good practice for me to take the time to stand on God’s promises but also to listen to God’s voice daily. I am learning how to get better at this every day.
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I love the idea of reading in community with a church family. What a beautiful practice!
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